Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Fame in the Marketplace
After the Barbaric Bear Demon finished recuperating, the purple-skirted young woman took it and left the Elixir Workshop.
Xu Chang’an glanced at the bag in his hand. It contained exactly eight hundred Demon Stones, no more, no less.
"Lion’s Mane Cave, Cheng Mengying! To think it was her!"
Although the Healing Spirit Pill was difficult to refine, with three days’ time, it wasn’t impossible for Xu Chang’an to produce twenty of them given his Alchemy skills.
This back-and-forth negotiation had just been a deliberate act on his part.
Agreeing with great reluctance was better than agreeing with ease.
’Refuse decisively, agree hesitantly!’
If a refusal was hesitant and vague, it could easily create enemies.
If an agreement was made too readily and smoothly, people wouldn’t value it.
With his worldly wisdom from a past life, he naturally understood this principle.
Showing Cheng Mengying the Healing Spirit Pill had also been a calculated move.
Since he had decided to reveal his skills as a Quasi-second-rank Alchemist, he naturally had to lay the groundwork for it.
Relying on Langlang Mountain’s own promotion would be too weak.
Furthermore, it would be easily questioned by other shops.
It would be time-consuming and laborious!
But then, this purple-skirted young woman had shown up, clearly either rich or of high status at a glance.
By taking the opportunity to present a Quasi-Tier Two Elixir with her as a witness, his status as a Quasi-second-rank Alchemist would naturally be solidified.
’Eight hundred Demon Stones, plus a small favor from a direct lineage member of Lion’s Mane Cave!’
Xu Chang’an was in a good mood.
This time, he had gone with the flow, not only advancing his plan but also reaping considerable benefits.
Both Langlang Mountain and Lujiao Mountain were under the jurisdiction of Lion’s Mane Cave.
With a Demon King presiding over it, Lion’s Mane Cave’s power was naturally immense.
Ordinary demons didn’t have their own names; they were mostly referred to by their race or characteristics.
However, some demons with noble bloodlines or exceptionally high cultivation realms would take names for themselves.
This became even more common after the Demon Race started learning the ways of the Human Race.
For example, this purple-skirted young woman’s chosen name was Cheng Mengying.
Cheng Mengying of Lion’s Mane Cave was a Cyan-eyed Red-haired Lion, possessing a bloodline of the highest quality among Upper Grade demons.
At only twenty years of age, she had already reached the Peak of Ninth Level of Qi Refining, just one step away from becoming a Foundation Establishment Great Demon.
She was one of the most brilliant and talented demons of Lion’s Mane Cave’s younger generation.
She was deeply favored by the Demon King!
Now, Xu Chang’an had obtained a promise from this woman, an asset worth far more than eight hundred Demon Stones!
In the territory of Lion’s Mane Cave, their word was law!
...
As planned, Xu Chang’an went to find Jin Ling’er.
He told her everything, from his success in refining a Quasi-Tier Two Elixir to the incident with Cheng Mengying.
Jin Ling’er was overjoyed when she learned of this.
"Grey Rat, you’ve given me such a wonderful surprise.
In less than twenty years, you’ve reached the realm of a Quasi-second-rank Alchemist.
It seems your talent for Alchemy is even greater than I imagined!
At your age, you could probably even aim for becoming a Tier Two Alchemist."
"And gaining the friendship of Lion’s Mane Cave this time will be of great help to you!
I will report this matter to Langlang Mountain’s Elder Peak as soon as possible!"
As she spoke, the way Jin Ling’er looked at Xu Chang’an clearly held a different, unusual meaning.
Ever since that night, there had been many more intentional and unintentional acts of intimacy between Jin Ling’er and Xu Chang’an.
However, Xu Chang’an’s heart wasn’t in it, and he often just went through the motions.
After a brief conversation with Jin Ling’er, Xu Chang’an used the excuse of needing to refine the Healing Spirit Pills to return to the Elixir Workshop.
Refining the Healing Spirit Pills was a matter of great importance. Although Jin Ling’er had a heart full of things to say, she could only let him leave.
Watching Xu Chang’an depart, Jin Ling’er’s gaze turned distant as memories of the past surfaced like scenes on a screen.
"How much for this set of Golden Needles?"
"It’s a full set of Low-grade Magical Artifacts, a fine item among low-grades. The price is eighty Demon Stones."
"What about this one?"
"This Magical Artifact was specially crafted for smaller members of the Demon Race.
The refining technique is quite good, but the materials are slightly lacking.
If you’re sincere about buying it, you can have it for thirty Demon Stones."
"I’ll buy this Magical Artifact."
The Little Demon who couldn’t even afford eighty Demon Stones back then had now grown to such an extent!
He had grown so much that even she felt a sense of helplessness when trying to get close to him.
After leaving Jin Ling’er, Xu Chang’an went straight back to the Elixir Workshop.
He was well aware that Jin Ling’er was interested in him.
But he couldn’t be sure how much of it was genuine affection.
If possible, he still hoped to see that gentle, fair-skinned woman from the Wave Valley gathering all those years ago.
In the blink of an eye, almost fifteen years had passed!
Xu Chang’an was momentarily lost in thought.
A moment later, he collected himself and began preparing the medicinal ingredients for the Healing Spirit Pills.
’Healing Spirit Pill, a Quasi-Tier Two Elixir.’
’The deadline is tight, the task is demanding, so a higher rate of material consumption should be understandable to Langlang Mountain.’
’Yes, they should understand!’
...
「Three days passed in a flash.」
As promised, Cheng Mengying arrived at the Langlang Mountain Elixir Workshop.
Knowing her identity, the Little Demons naturally didn’t dare to stop her, respectfully escorting her to a private room on the second floor.
"Miss Cheng."
Xu Chang’an gave a slight bow, his face showing a trace of fatigue, then took out two Jade Bottles of Healing Spirit Pills.
"A total of twenty Healing Spirit Pills. Fortunately, I was able to complete the task."
Cheng Mengying took the Jade Bottles, opened them for a quick inspection, and confirmed everything was in order. She was in a good mood.
She glanced down at Xu Chang’an’s expression and suddenly said,
"Are you interested in joining my Lion’s Mane Cave?"
"Ah!?"
Xu Chang’an was stunned for a moment, apparently not expecting Cheng Mengying to ask such a question.
"If you come to my Lion’s Mane Cave,
you will be compensated at the same level as a Foundation Establishment Great Demon, and we will fully support your push to become a Tier Two Alchemist!
You know that my Lion’s Mane Cave has a deep heritage. With our help, your chances of becoming a Tier Two Alchemist will be significantly higher."
Cheng Mengying was petite, but her words carried a commanding presence.
Xu Chang’an’s expression was conflicted, and he seemed extremely hesitant.
After a long pause, he finally forced himself to speak.
"I appreciate your kind offer, Miss Cheng.
However, Langlang Mountain has shown me great kindness, and I cannot bring myself to abandon it so lightly!"
Cheng Mengying’s face was expressionless, revealing neither anger nor pleasure.
She grunted in acknowledgment, then turned and left.
Xu Chang’an watched Cheng Mengying’s back as she left, until she disappeared from view.
’This little lioness certainly has her methods!’
This recruitment attempt was likely just a casual try on her part.
If he had agreed immediately, she would have looked down on him.
But rejecting her outright wouldn’t have been appropriate either.
Quasi-second-rank Alchemist and Tier Two Alchemist... the difference seemed like just a single word.
But breaking through was incredibly difficult!
With the temptation of becoming a Tier Two Alchemist before him, if he had refused too easily, his performance would have been far too conspicuous.
His previous actions were just right, not too much, not too little.
’I cannot bring myself to abandon it so lightly!’
This implied that if Cheng Mengying were to raise her offer, he would be open to considering it.
However, given the prestige of Lion’s Mane Cave, they were unlikely to extend a second invitation to a mere Quasi-second-rank Alchemist.
A Tier Two Alchemist, on the other hand, might be a different story!
After the successful transaction of the Healing Spirit Pills with Cheng Mengying of Lion’s Mane Cave, the news quickly spread throughout the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace, deliberately propelled by Langlang Mountain.
The Langlang Mountain Elixir Workshop has a Quasi-second-rank Alchemist in residence!
Accepting custom orders for Quasi-Tier Two Elixirs!
Personally certified by a member of the Lion’s Mane Cave direct lineage—the real deal!
The Langlang Mountain Elixir Workshop’s Chief Alchemist, the Gray Rat Demon, became famous throughout the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace.
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